Politicians Join Hurricane Lawsuits

As thousands of devastated Gulf Coast residents continue to file suit against insurance companies that refuse to pay claims for flood damage, some high-level politicians are joining the fight.

U.S. Rep. Gene Taylor, D-Miss., joined other plaintiffs and filed suit against State Farm Fire & Casualty Co. for refusal to cover post-Katrina property damage. U.S. Sen. Trent Lott, R-Miss., and Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood are also among politicians who were affected by Hurricane Katrina and have decided to take their grievances to court.

"The intentional effort by these insurance companies to avoid meeting their policy obligations is devastation on top of devastation," said Taylor and Lott's attorney Richard Scruggs in a press release. "As a community member, neighbor and victim of the hurricane, I simply cannot sit by and allow this needless exploitation of those of us who live and work in the Gulf Coast region."

The suits attempt to force insurers to pay for flood damage. The insurers involved either do not specifically cover flood damage in their hurricane policies, or only cover wind damage. In recent cases, insurers state that a storm surge caused flooding, not wind, and have denied coverage.